There are a variety of hooks that fit over the top of a door. One common type of hook has a U-shaped bracket having an opening not greater than the thickness of the door to which it is to be attached. One or more hooks extend from either or both sides of the bracket. Examples of this type of door hook are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,239 to Campbell et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,365 to Catanzarite et al. and U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 342,889 to Adams, U.S. Pat. Des. No. 422,198 to Snell and U.S. Pat. Des. No. 455,947 to Goodman et al. These door hooks are made of plastic or metal and are unitary structures. One shortcoming of this type of hook is that the bracket is sized to fit doors having the same thickness or a slightly smaller thickness as the opening in the bracket. The hooks are not adjustable either in the width of the bracket or the level at which the hook portion is positioned relative to the top of the door. Consequently, the art has recognized a need for an over-the-door hook that will fit over a wider range of door thickness.
One type of over-the-door hook that will fit a wider range of doors is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 326,021 to Evenson. That door hook has two L-shaped members that fit together in a manner to form an adjustable U-shaped hook. The two L-shaped members are connected by a tongue and groove type joint that enables them to slide apart from and toward one another thereby changing the width of the hook. A significant shortcoming of this hook is the thickness of that portion of the hook that fits on top of the door. That thickness prevents many doors from being tightly closed. Another approach to providing a door hook that fits over a wider range of door thickness is to provide a U-shaped bracket in which the legs of the bracket angle toward one another and can flex away from one another. One such hook is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. Des. 342,889. This type of hook is more likely to jam and to slide and be pulled off the door than is a door hook having the bracket with an opening that is the same as the thickness of the door.
In designing an over-the-door hook, the objective has always been to create an inexpensive hook that will fit the door while that door is open or closed and that will hold significant weight. When the door is open, a door hook with too wide a top tends to slide and be pulled off the door. Clear plastics are often used because they are cheaper than metal and less noticeable. But, it is very difficult to mold thin sections of plastic because plastic does not flow well through thin openings. Consequently, plastic door hooks have been over 0.080 inches thick and many are 0.125 inches thick. Many of these door hooks are too thick to close a door safely without damaging the door. This is particularly true of newer doors that have tight seals between the door and the jamb. The thicker door hooks have, in many cases, actually weakened the very hinges that hold the door, and also compressed and damaged wood in both the door and the jamb. If the over-the-door hook is too thick, the door may not close or when it does close it may not latch. Locks and latches on the door may be forced downward so that they no longer engage openings in the jamb. To avoid this problem the top of an over the door hook should be no more than 0.080 inches thick.
There is a need for an over-the-door hook which can hold significant weight when the door is open, and which permits the door to be closed without damaging the door and which is or can be configured to securely fit over exterior doors which may be typically two inches wide and thinner interior doors which may be 1⅜ to 1¾ inches wide.